Day 57 – Daddy Issues – Short Story

Patty lays his hand against her chest and his shoulders sink forward as he feels nothing, an emptiness, a void. She looks at him with desperation in her eyes and he shakes his head as he pulls his hand away.

“I’m so sorry,” he says softly as he shuffles back into his seat, and his brow furrows as he slips into a deep, frustrated thought.

“That’s it? That’s all the great psychic Patty O’Brian has to say, I’m sorry,” she says as she gets to her feet and slams her palms down onto the table in anger and leans across towards him. “Some fucking hero you turned out to be.”

“Casey, please, I didn’t say I can’t help, I just said sorry, that’s all,” he says as he meets her vicious gaze with a sympathetic, almost calming gaze of his own and she backs away. “Tell me, where did you meet this man who you claim stole your soul?”

“On a dating website.”

“Which one?” He asks as he pulls a tablet from beneath the table and places it in front of her.

“Lonely Hearts,” she replies, he quickly looks up the site and turns the tablet around to face her and nods towards it.

“Log in,” she looks at him nervously. “I don’t care about anything else, just this Romeo, nothing else, I have no desire to learn any of your secrets.” She reluctantly signs into her profile and brings up the message screen showing the interaction with the so called Romeo, Patty’s eyes widen when he lays eyes on the image of the man, and he leans over to table, turning the tablet around to face him.

“It can’t be possible,” he says as he looks up at her. “You’re sure this is the man?”

“Of course I am, I’ve only been on the site for a month or less and he’s the only one I’ve physically interacted with. Why, do you know him?”

“A long time ago, and I’m not talking a couple of years, I’m talking fifty or more at the least.”

“That’s impossible, his profile says he’s twenty-eight, maybe he just looks like this guy?”

“Open your eyes woman, if this Harold is who I think he is, then we could be dealing with much more than a simple soul stealing, we could be facing end of days stuff.”

“Patty, you always did over react,” a voice says from behind him, and his body stiffens with fear as cold hands come to rest on his shoulders, he feels his coldness against his ear and he stiffens. “Hello old boy, how’s business?”

“D-D-Drake?”

“I’m so touched you remembered,” he says as he squeezes Patty’s shoulders and pushes him forward as he released his hold, Patty spins around but there is no one, he frantically looks around the room for any sign of him, but the room is empty except for himself and Casey, and he can see the fear in her eyes and then, she smiles, and casually leans back in her seat.

“So tell me, what have you been up to since we last saw each other all those many years ago?”

“Get out of her you disgusting piece of shit!” Patty yells as he gets to his feet, thrusting his hand out towards her.

She laughs, “I’m the disgusting one? You should read the message history of this vile woman, she takes disgusting to a whole new level, now sit down, so we can have a chat about what’s going to happen next.”

“I cast you out demon, I forbid you sanctuary, go, fore you are unwanted!” he yells.

“Sit down Patty, your old charms will not work on me now, she is but a vessel, only a microphone if you will. Now sit, trust me you’ll want to hear what I’ve got to say,” she says as she smiles again and gestures towards his chair, Patty reluctantly sits back down and uneasily shuffles in his chair.

“You might as well kill me now if that’s what you’ve come here for, I’ll never be a part of whatever hideous designs you have planned.”

She laughs again, “If I wanted you dead, you would be, so let’s not play silly sods any longer. I want you to complete the task you were created for, I want you to help me find that son of a bitch, hiding out there, in the meat puppets and I want to suck his soul dry.”

“You can’t be serious? How do you know he’s still out there? How can you be sure? You failed last time, what makes you certain you can beat him now?”

“Because I know he is, and this time I won’t fail, this time I will suck God’s soul dry and then, the world will be mine,” she says with an evil laugh. Patty swallows a mouthful of saliva, and it tears down his throat as if it were bone and then, he smiles.

To challenge oneself to 365 days of creation, giving myself one hour a day to write, thirty minutes to edit and then post the story and see where it leads. I'll also throw in excerpts of a novel I'm working or as well, which is how the short stories started in the first place, as a way to exorcise all the little, crazy stories that wouldn't fit anywhere out of my head, so, I hope you enjoy the trip. I should note, that all stories are created and owned by myself, if you like something and want to share it please do, share away, But if you want to feature it on your site or jumble something into an anthology please ensure you contact me first so we can discuss it like adults and not children who do not understand how the world works.

Welcome to the Rivers of Grue. I am the Keeper of the Crimson Quill and within these pages you will find a smorgasbord of different offerings ranging from fiction, introspective, and poetry, to film appraisals. There is absolutely no censorship and it is my aim to immerse the addressee through audio and visual stimulation, as well as my inimitable brand of prose. I trust you will enjoy your stay!